Darkness Calling
by Blonde-Eko
Summary: What if Osamu and Ken had always been meant to go to camp that summer as vital parts of the original Digidestined? Was Ken only ever the back up option for the dark spore? How much does the fate of the two worlds hang on the smallest of decisions and how much is down to immovable fate? DIGIMON ADVENTURE 01 WITH A TWIST.
1. Prologue (part one)

**Note: I do not own Digimon**

Did you ever imagine what would have happened if Osamu and Ken had been a part of the Digimon adventure from the very beginning? I have, so here is my take on the way events could possibly pan out.

This chapter is my attempt at justifying why Osamu and Ken were chosen as well as giving a bit of an explanation as to why the events at Hikarigaoka (Highton View Terrace) occurred how and when they did.  
If you see any errors or just stupid, outlandish claims please let me know!

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* * *

**_Prologue (part one) First Contact: Cracking the Code_**

* * *

**1995~**

* * *

The human need to create was a strange thing, Gennai mused as he wrote yet another line of programming for his current project. He had often wondered at people's need to leave behind some sort of legacy as a testament to their short stay on this earth.

His parents, for example, were obsessed with raising ever more funding for the museum back in Hokkaido which was dedicated to their people, the Ainu, in the hope that age old traditions would live on in the face of modernity. They couldn't see that fighting change was a useless strife because like it or not cultures moved on. Society has happily traded the sustainability of _iwor _ecosystems for the convenience of McDonald food chains and the like and now there was no going back. He sighed, knowing how much such things broke his parents' hearts. To be fair, though, they had moved the whole family out of Hokkaido all the way to Obadaia several years ago. The Ainu way of life was going to get little enough sympathy back home, but in the middle of a giant city their voices were bound to fall on deaf ears.

Gennai himself, however, had whole heartedly embraced the pros of modernity. He was fascinated with all things to do with computers, especially the internet which despite being relatively young at this point was still capable or transferring mind blowing amounts of data between locations in the blink of an eye.

From the age of ten he had been seen to be responsible enough to access the school's large, slow computer in the library unsupervised. This moment had had a more profound impact on his young life than anyone had been able to foresee as from the second he sat down at that desktop he had simply fallen in love.

Most children his age had been the type to want nothing more than to play soccer, to run around screaming and blow off steam like strange caged animals at the zoo. Not Gennai. His time was fully dedicated to the pursuit of understanding all there was to know about computers, programming and the internet.

Now age fourteen he was making a breakthrough.

"Hello," a small voice broke his focus.

He turned around, tearing his eyes from the perfect lines of code to see a small, sapphire haired child with large glasses and an inquisitive expression hovering just behind him.

"Hello Osamu," Gennai smiled, indicating a swivel chair to his right for the youngster to sit down. The two of them shared a love of all things computer based and so the teenager could often be seen hanging around with this seven year old out of school hours. Ironically he proved to be the only one Gennai felt he could have an intellectual, adult conversation with.

Osamu took the pro-offered seat and stared over the shoulder of his comrade, his eyes casually skimming the code.

"Want a go?" Gennai asked eventually when his eyes began to sting from focussing so intently on the small squiggles before him.

"Your Digital World?" Osamu asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Yep," he nodded. It was the project he had become engrossed in for the last few years and he was so close to getting it right.

It was going to be _his_ legacy.

"Sure, maybe if you tweak this line..." Osamu quickly became thoroughly engrossed too and the two of them worked happily together as they came closer and closer to perfecting the coding.

* * *

"They are close," Angemon commented as the celestial digimon observed the human children's progress.

"Maybe we should step in and give them another prod in the right direction," Nefertimon suggested, looking to the other wise digimon who were gathered in the most secluded wing of their castle.

"No," Pegasusmon frowned. "We have already helped this Gennai too much, we gave him the prompts and more than enough breadcrumbs to follow. The rest is up to him."

"But Pegasusmon-" Nefertimon began.

"There is only so much we can do," he shook his head as a dismissal. "and we have done it. Have faith."

She smiled weakly up at him, he was right. She just hated to leave the fate of their world in such young and inexperienced hands, something about it just didn't sit right.

"The younger boy," gasped Piximon in awe, "he has found the key, pi!"

All eyes turned back to the orb they were surrounding which showed the two children absorbed in their task. The picture fluctuated slightly but when it came to rest again the other digimon could see that Piximon was right, this youngling was indeed cracking the code.

_Unbelievable!_

Each of them felt a strange sensation at the moment the rift between the worlds formed as barriers of the very strongest kind were shattered. It had been done, the prophesy had just been set in motion and from here on out the fate of the two worlds would be merged together, for better or for worse.

"They are the chosen," Angemon pointed to the images on the orb as his voice raised in excitement, "we must send the digimon straight away. Are they prepared?"

Two in-training digimon bounded forward eagerly, a Koromon and a Poromon, and they were quickly ushered into the machine.

"In order to travel between worlds," Andromon informed the younglings, "this machine must first turn you back into eggs. Do not worry, this state will only be temporary as you will hatch with unnatural speed once you reach the other end."

They nodded up at him in understanding, eager to embark.

"I just hope this works," muttered Nefertimon under her breath as they sent them through.

As the tiny digimon were de-materialised before their very eyes the atmosphere in the large room was so strained that you could hear a pin drop. No-body dared to even breath. All attention was now on the two blips pulsing on the orb.

One flashed as it exited the conduit between worlds prematurely.

"No, this can't be!" Andromon cried as he stared at the information before him. "There is no way this could have gone wrong, I programmed the conduit myself..."

"Where has the first one landed?" Pegasusmon demanded, his voice rough with tension. So much was at stake here.

Andromon squinted to make out the details before him, "I believe it landed in an apartment block on the same clump of land as it was meant to, just not in the correct area."

"And the second egg, pi?" Piximon asked anxiously as he paced around the room in an effort to relieve his pent up energy.

"It has reached the intended destination," Andromon sighed with relief.

The room visibly relaxed.

"Then whatever happens now," Angemon whispered, "must be left to fate."

* * *

Gennai watched the child before him solve the problem that had been annoying him for weeks. He had to admit that a small part of him was bitterly jealous about being outdone, but he quickly squashed that down and instead rejoiced that his project was finally complete.

"Like that?" Osamu asked, looking up at the teenager with big eyes.

"Exactly like that, Osamu!" Gennai grinned, picking the child up in his arms and swinging him around. "You did it!"

Osamu blushed at such an outburst and straightened his shirt self consciously the moment he was released.

"_We_ did it." he corrected.

Without warning the computer screen pulsated with different colours and reams upon reams of strange coding began trickling down the monitor. The boys immediately fell silent as they watched this with interest, mesmerised by the patterns which were so complex that they struggled to understand what it was they were looking at.

After seconds of this strange behaviour the computer froze upon a section of code which formed an egg-shaped two-dimensional image on the screen.

"What is that?" Gennai wondered, staring at it in awe.

The computer screen then fluctuated and a three-dimensional mould of the code-formed egg began to appear, as if it were physically exiting the screen itself. Which it was, only such a thing should be-

"Impossible!" Osamu cried as Gennai rushed forward to catch the almost fully formed egg.

As the egg, which was about the size of Osamu's head, dropped into Gennai's waiting hands the two boys looked to each other in disbelief.

Neither spoke for a minute, not sure what to say.

Then an even more astonishing thing began to happen, the egg cracked and within seconds a newly hatched creature emerged.

This creature was so unlike anything the two boys had ever before seen that they could not help but stare at it with mouths agape. It was a small, pink ball of fuzz with a yellow-tipped red feather on its back, a small yellow beak and two large, shining blue eyes.

It flitted its wings a few times to get feeling back in its short limbs and gazed up at the two humans curiously as they continued to stare right back at it.

"So _you're_ the chosen?" it asked eventually after no one else spoke, its chirpy voice tinged with a heavy note of scepticism.

* * *

After their initial shock, when the boys had calmed down and become accustomed to the idea of having a talking creature for a friend, they decided the best plan of action would be for Gennai to take the creature home and keep an eye on it until they could figure out how to best proceed.

No, not "it" they reminded themselves. He got offended at such a term since he had already introduced himself to them as Poromon.

Yes, Gennai was to take Poromon home and care for him until they had a chance to get their heads around their unusual situation.

_This was going to be fun,_ Osamu smiled to himself. _What an incredible discovery!_

* * *

A/N~ Right, sorry for the unusual order I have uploaded these in. This is a piece of work I am just winging it with, I did no previous planning but am just going with ideas as they come to me (can you tell by the fact I'm asking for help thinking up a digimon partner for Osamu?!) :P

This prologue was getting too long to do in one chapter so I decided to split it into two parts. I waited to upload the two piece prologue at the same time as otherwise it would just be too confusing, but I'm done now so I hope you enjoy it!

To anyone reading this, thank you. Seeing this story gets hits really makes my day :}


	2. Prologue (part two)

**Note: I do not own Digimon**

This is the second part of my Prologue to Darkness Calling. I wanted to weave Osamu and Ken (plus Gennai) into the original Digidestined and thought what better way than to insert them in to the very beginning.

So here you have it, part two of the Prologue!

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* * *

**_Prologue (part two) ~ Malfunctions: Destruction in Hikarigaoka_**

* * *

**_One Week Later~_**

* * *

"Osamu, I have to be in work early could you take Ken to school for me?" shouted his mother as she bustled around the house.

"Today?" he groaned inwardly.

"Yes of course today," came the baffled reply.

"Okay then," Osamu cursed his luck. He had planned to drop by at Gennai's to check on Hawkmon on his way to school this morning.

The creature who had originally been called Poromon ate more food than anything Osamu had ever seen and had quickly evolved into an entirely new creature, happily informing them he now went by the name of Hawkmon.

That was five days ago and it still ate enough to feed an army.

_Hawkmon could even give Ken a run for his money with its ridiculous eating ability_, Osamu smiled as he walked over Ken's cot and gently woke him. _They are both just disguised and utterly relentless garbage disposal units._

"Hey Kenny," he whispered as he stroked the younger child's hair. "I'm gonna be taking you to school today, won't that be fun?"

His brother stirred and opened his eyes slightly, smiling up at his big brother and nodding sleepily before curling back up to his disgustingly germ-ridden soft toy, lovingly called Goku. It didn't resemble the Shonen Jump character in the least, being more of a green lump of padding loosely arranged in a sausage shape, but it made Ken happy so who was he to argue?

Twenty minutes later Osamu was leading his little brother out of their apartment by the hand.

It may actually be okay to take him to go see Hawkmon, he reasoned. No one would believe him if he said anything, anyway. Ken was always full of fanciful ideas, one more wouldn't hurt.

"Fancy meeting a friend of mine?" he asked the younger child casually.

Ken nodded enthusiastically and Osamu smiled.

* * *

As they arrived at Gennai's house Osamu heard a commotion.

"Hawkmon, just calm down," Gennai's strained voice carried out into the street and Osamu thought he detected a tone of panic.

Realising something must be wrong Osamu lost no time in scrambling through his friend's window and, once inside, letting Ken in through the front door. He then ran through the rooms to find the source of the rapidly building argument.

"Gennai?" he called, worried.

"Osamu, oh thank goodness you're here," Gennai exclaimed as he burst through the bedroom door. "Hawkmon's going crazy and I don't know what to do."

"I have to go, let me go!" Hawkmon cried as he struggled violently against the restraints which held him to Gennai's desk chair.

"You tied him up?" Osamu raised an eyebrow at the unexpected scene.

"It was the only way," Gennai argued, realising how bad this must look. Osamu took in the teenager's dishevelled appearance and panicked expression and realised that restraining their friend must have been a last resort done out of nothing short of desperation.

"Let me go!" Hawkmon yelled as he thrashed against the ropes which held him in place, straining them to their limits.

It wouldn't be long before rope alone would not contain this situation as with each passing second it was looking more likely that Hawkmon would break through his bonds and in the condition he was in right now such a thing could be extremely dangerous. Osamu glanced at Ken who was huddled nervously in the corner. He had to do something, Hawkmon could not be allowed to put his brother's life at risk.

"What's wrong, Hawkmon? Where do you need to go?" Osamu asked as he approached the creature calmly, holding out his hands in a gesture of peace.

Hawkmon lunged at him and squawked angrily as spittle flew from his beak. Osamu flew backwards in shock and barely escaped being taken down by the weight and momentum of the creature attached to the desk chair as Hawkmon hurtled harmlessly to the ground, thankfully having missed his target.

Now struggling on the floor underneath the weight of the large chair Hawkmon cursed and yelled muffled accusations towards the children. Osamu regained his composure and dusted himself off before trying again, this time with a slight tremor in his voice.

"Why do you want to go, Hawkmon?" he asked as calmly as he could while his heart thudded away in his chest, drowning out the sound of his own voice in his ears.

"Gwah!" the bird creature squawked in frustration as it continued to try to break free, with far less success now that it was on the floor under the very chair it was tied to.

Osamu looked to Gennai, who seemed to be as lost with this whole situation as he was. Just yesterday the three of them had been spending time happily together, working on a simplistic form of artificial intelligence that Osamu had decided to make for his younger brother based on Poromon. Hawkmon had proudly decided they should call it a Furby.

The change between the laid back creature he had joked with then and the wild, angry Hawkmon they were dealing with now was staggering.

Suddenly Hawkmon screamed and there was a strange glow which severed the cords of rope around him.

_Get down!_ Osamu wanted to scream at his brother but everything happened to quickly and he barely even had time to leap in Ken's direction, hoping to shield him from whatever was happening.

"**_Hawkmon shinka... Birdramon!_**"

* * *

Gennai, Osamu and Ken ran down the street as they raced to keep up with the giant flying creature before them. Ken's little legs struggled to keep up with the two older children so Gennai decided to carry him, slowing down their progress slightly as he was not a teenager used to exercise, but it was better than the alternative.

His brain was still reeling with the events of the past few hours. The way Hawkmon had suddenly woke up screaming in the early hours with a high temperature, as well as the rapid progression to delirious rants which Gennai did not understand, had worried him. However fevers were common among humans, why would these creatures be any different? For all he knew this was a perfectly normal side effect of his recent evolution.

But as the symptoms had worsened and the previously mild-mannered creature's behaviour had grown threatening and violent he had begun to panic. Very soon the situation had got out of hand and now here he was dragging two younger children through the streets of Obadaia to try to contain a monstrous beast who seemed to be enjoying damaging buildings as he flew by.

What would they do when he progressed from damaging buildings to damaging people? How on earth does one deal with such a situation?!

People in the streets pointed and stared at the giant bird as it made its way over Japan, traffic stopped and people screamed as it rammed into offices with its powerful body, smashing windows and trailing debris in its path.

They were the only ones running _towards_ the monster. A teen and two children. This was bound to end well.

It seemed as if Birdramon, Hawkmon's new form, was making straight for a housing complex. Gennai knew it vaguely, his friend Shin Kido's family lived there. Hikarigaoka he believed it was called, also known by tourists as Highton View Terrace.

What could it want with Hikarigaoka?!

"Look!" cried Osamu as he pointed to the sky, "Birdramon is struggling."

He was right, Gennai stopped for a moment to see their friend have some kind of epileptic shock in mid air. Its scream pierced his heart and he longed to be able to do something to help.

_Birdramon hang in there, we are coming to help you. _He just hoped there was something they could do, preferably before the American military rushed in to shoot down the risk to Japanese airspace.

The same flash of light that the children had seen in Gennai's bedroom as Hawkmon evolved lit up the whole sky for a moment as Birdramon dropped towards the ground, still spasming violently.

"**_Birdramon shinka... Parrotmon!_**"

"He did it again," Osamu gaped up at the even bigger creature as it plummeted towards the ground at high speed. "He's going to crash!"

_No shit. I may not be a genius, unlike some, but even I can see that!_ Gennai bit back a sharp retort, not even fully sure why he felt the need to even snap at his brilliant young friend, and instead focussed on the scene playing out before their eyes.

Ken whimpered in his arms and he frowned. He had to do something, anything. That was their friend up there, even if he was acting scarily out of character at the moment.

"Parrotmon!" he cried, settling Ken carefully on the pavement and running towards the area where he estimated the creature was going to fall.

Almost as if he had heard him the bird creature burst into action, bringing himself back up into the air just before he could collide into the fifteen storey building he had been crashing towards.

"Gwah!" it cried victoriously and Gennai did not know if it was his imagination or not but he could have swore the creature made eye contact with him for just a second as he began to soar once more through the sky on his way towards Hikarigaoka.

"Gennai!" Osamu gasped having watched the scene with wide, fearful eyes. "Did you...?"

Gennai shrugged, still slightly in shock after nearly witnessing their friend's death. Not to mention the countless others who would have been killed if Parrotmon had actually collided with the building.

* * *

Something had gone wrong, the celestial digimon realised as they monitored the progress of the two digimon they had sent forth.

"The digital fibres of both digimon have been slowly breaking down the last few days," Centaurmon explained reluctantly as he watched the fruits of his labour wither and die before him. "They just couldn't withstand the pressure that being in the real world was putting on their matrix. Especially the Hawkmon, his personality buffer was irreparably damaged."

"What are you saying, we failed?" Pegasusmon frowned at the readings before him, of them all he was the least able to face defeat.

"I am afraid so." Centaurmon hung his head in shame.

"There must be something we can do!" cried Pegasusmon desperately.

Nefertimon placed a jewelled paw comfortingly on his shoulder and sighed.

"All we can do now is call them back," she said sadly.

"No, that is unacceptable!" he snapped, brushing her paw away in an uncharacteristic flash of anger.

"To leave them there to destroy everything and ultimately die themselves is unacceptable!" she snarled in return, her hackles rising at his stubbornness. She knew how important this was, they all did, but there had to be another way. Her eyes flashed angrily at him and he dropped her gaze.

"See it done," he muttered after a moment, turning his back on the others and leaving the room.

An uneasy atmosphere lingered in the room as the digimon did what had to be done.

They had failed.

* * *

They reached Hikarigaoka just in time to see the last moments of what appeared to have been a pretty vicious battle between their Parrotmon and another monster, this one an orange dinosaur.

As the three of them watched open mouthed, a strange portal-like phenomenon was formed in the sky above them.

"Oniisan," Ken tugged at his brother's sleeve as he gazed up at the rift above them.

But Osamu had eyes only for the creature he had known and grown fond of over the past few days. Parrotmon was slowly being drawn towards the vortex in the sky, along with all the debris around him and the orange dinosaur he had fought. Was this the end, was he going back to where he had come from?

Osamu frowned, what had been the point of it all then?

"Parrotmon!" Gennai called from next to Osamu as the unshed tears in his eyes threatened to escape. "Don't go..."

But if Parrotmon could hear him he did not respond. The vortex drew him closer as he drifted through the sky until just at the very second before he was pulled through his gaze found theirs and he let out a forlorn squawk.

_Goodbye?_ They sure hoped not.

* * *

Gennai couldn't bear to let Parrotmon just leave. The second he watched his friend get swallowed up by the strange portal he felt his heart break. He had never had a bond with anyone like the one he had felt with Hawkmon and the thought of never seeing him again was just too much for the teen to handle.

He put a hand on Osamu's shoulder and smiled sadly down at the young child. It would be tough leaving him, too. But no where near as difficult as living with Parrotmon.

"I'm going to follow him," he decided aloud as the plan hatched in his mind, grabbing on to a substantial piece of debris which was now on its way to the vortex.

Osamu stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before nodding.

"I would go too but..." he gestured to his younger brother as he watched his friend float higher and higher above him.

"I know." Gennai nodded sadly. He had known this would be a journey he would take alone.

"Goodbye," Osamu waved and as Gennai watched his young friend become gradually smaller the further away he floated, he smiled.

"Goodbye Osamu, it was a pleasure."

The last thing Gennai saw before he was pulled through the vortex after Parrotmon was the small child, holding his brother's hand protectively and bowing up at him.

_I'm going to miss you, kid._

* * *

"What's this?" Centaurmon exclaimed as he spotted a strange reading. "A human has arrived in the Digital World?!"

The surrounding digimon gasped, shocked by such a turn in events.

"Summon Pegasusmon back here immediately," Nefertimon ordered. "Maybe not all is lost."

* * *

A/N~ There we go, that was the alternate side of the Digimon Movie showing the prologue for Digimon Adventure from the Parrotmon side.  
I really hope I managed to stick to the basic facts properly, I haven't seen the movie itself in many years.


	3. The Start of All Epic Adventures

**Note: I do not own Digimon**

Did you ever imagine what would have happened if Osamu and Ken had been a part of the Digimon adventure from the very beginning? I have, so here is my take on the way events could possibly pan out.

I hope you enjoy it!

Also I am currently debating with myself who **_Osamu_** should have for a **_Digimon Partner_**.  
_**Any suggestions**_ on who you think could work well would be much appreciated :}

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* * *

**_Chapter One ~ The Start of All Epic Adventures: A Summer Camp_**

(Osamu's Point of View)

* * *

Osamu Ichijouji tinkered around with the wires and memory boards of the dismantled computer before him. This was how he chose to relax after the stress of having to socialise with people he barely understood all day at school. He lived for the thrill of figuring out how things worked, how they could be rebuilt and improved, and this clutter of circuits and wiring before him made for a most enticing puzzle. People, on the other hand, bored and frustrated him. He was relieved to finally have some space from their constant pestering and futile social conventions.

_Maybe if I connect this here, using this wire._.. He nibbled his lower lip in concentration, analysing possibilities in his head and wondering which would give the desired effect. _Oh wait, what about-?_

Knock, knock, knock.

"Oniisan," a timid voice piped up from the other side of his door, interrupting his reverie. "It's nearly time to go."

Osamu frowned. Of course, today had been the last day of term which meant only one thing. This afternoon, in the next half hour as a matter of fact, he was to endure further punishment by being shipped away to some outdoors summer camp for a whole week. With children his own age and younger swarming around.

_Typical_.

"Yes, right." He mumbled in response to his eager little brother.

The door creaked open slightly and Osamu could make out an inquisitive pair of eyes peeking around the corners, scanning his room with hungry interest. He never liked to allow his younger brother in here as there was so much he could damage or mess up, so for Ken getting a rare glimpse of Osamu's lair was always intriguing.

He swatted his curious younger brother away with a wave and frowned. All he had wanted was a short time to himself, was that too much to ask? As the door shut and his brother retreated, Osamu lovingly collected up each of the scattered pieces before him and arranged them neatly in his desk drawer for later. He then turned to the worn rucksack on his bed as it sat there, waiting for him to pack for this ridiculous summer camp which his parents were insisting he and his brother participate in. The bag gaped open, mocking him with its innocent expectancy in the face of his reluctance.

_How tiresome, sometimes I wish mother and father would just leave me be_. He grimaced slightly as he began carefully transferring rolls of socks and underwear into the waiting rucksack and sighed. _Why can't they see I don't need to socialise, I'm far better off without these pointless distractions from my projects._

Once he had packed the required garments and a few cautious extras, as well as some books to read and the odd tool or gadget here and there which he hoped he would have chance to work on, he threw the heavy bag over his shoulder and left the security of his room, plastering a smile on his face to reassure his family that he was perfectly capable of social interactions and hopefully discourage them from doing this to him again. _Summer camp, honestly could they be more disagreeable?_

His mother was already standing there outside his room, or maybe _lurking_ was a more apt verb to use under the circumstances. She immediately threw on a smile of her own and started to make that drivelling small talk which Osamu disliked intensely. "Oh honey, perfect timing," she beamed, so over-sweet he was convinced it could give him diabetes. _Social diabetes; a new and disturbing classification mainly afflicting teenage sons_... He very nearly smirked at his own bad quip before realising his mother was staring at him expectantly, had he missed something?

"Are you excited?" she asked intently, as if repeating herself. Which she may well have been, he hadn't been fully concentrating.

_Is that a serious question_? "Thrilled." He answered, with a heroic effort to conceal his sarcasm.

Ken bounded into the hallway lugging his own rucksack which seemed to be brimming with an assortment of dubious and hasty attempts at baking. Osamu smothered a grin as he saw the edge of a peanut butter encrusted mound (that, knowing his enthusiastic brother, was an interesting attempt at sponge cake) peeking from one of the many pockets.

_I wonder if he packed anything useful? Maybe he intends to wear cupcakes the whole week_… He chuckled slightly and ruffled his brother's hair with affection. He did not like most people, yet his Ken was impossible not to love. Even if he could be infuriating with his constant need to bug Osamu during all hours of the day.

"Can we go yet?" Ken pestered, practically bouncing up and down in his eagerness to set off.

"Your father is just starting the car, go put your bag into the boot sweetheart." His mother smiled kindly, stroking his hair before he could bound off in excitement.

As Ken became a blur running out of the door Osamu's mother looked down at him seriously. "Look after him, Osamu." She implored.

He bowed slightly. "Of course, mother."

"And, honey?" She hesitated for a moment, "just try to have fun."

He bowed again, this time more rigidly. "Of course, mother."

She frowned slightly before pasting that ridiculous smile back on her face and pulling him into a forced and awkward embrace.

"I mean it," she whispered against his hair, tickling his ear. He was almost as tall as her now. "We aren't doing this to punish you, Osamu. We want you to experience life beyond…" she made a sweeping gesture to indicate his room. His life.

He stiffened against her and tried to break free. She let him go reluctantly and brushed his cheek with her thumb. He pulled away and stared at the ground.

"Bye, mother." He muttered before he made his way out of the door and closed it behind him. He thought he heard her make a noise behind him, but if she was saying something it was cut off as the door closed her in. No matter, it was not important now. Honestly, he was just relieved to have escaped the awkward emotional wreck that was his mother, she was always so volatile and made him feel uncomfortable. That would be one good thing about summer camp, being able to get away from his parents for a little while.

Their constant attention and fuss could just become too much sometimes.

Yet on the flip side of that there would be the other children to contend with at the camp itself. What was that saying, "better the Devil you know"? There could be something in that as at least with his parents he could make them respect his right to privacy. He did now have his own room after all, a luxury for many people his age. He doubted such a privilege would be available to him at camp.

There was going to be no escaping these other children. _Dios mios_, he frowned, _this is really going to test my limits_.

He wondered what they would be like.

"Oniisan!" Ken was suddenly by his side, dragging him towards the car and chattering about something.

_I just hope there are some I can be myself around_, he sighed as he allowed himself to be led into the car.

"Pst," Ken interrupted his thoughts with a conspiratorial smile. "Want some peanut-cake?" He whispered, holding out a sticky hand with an even stickier offering of mutilated cake smothered in stomach turning globs of peanut butter. _Delightful_.

"I'm okay thanks, Kenny." He smiled, amused at the mess his younger brother was already making a mere two minutes into their journey. He wondered how his car-proud father would feel about that.

Ken responded with a happy noise, muffled by the mouthful of cake he was getting through, and a proud smile. Osamu laughed, causing Ken to giggle in response and splutter half-chewed fragments of his creation all over the back of their father's pristine leather seat.

Osamu suppressed a smirk.

As the car rounded the next corner he spotted the sign for the camping ground, claiming it was only fifty miles away. They should arrive in around an hour, but the reality would be that they would reach it long before then knowing his father's driving.

_Right then, here we go_. _Only one week, I can survive that_.

* * *

When they arrived, despite it being the middle of summer, there was a chill in the air so Osamu grabbed two jackets out of his rucksack and threw one around the small shoulders of his little brother. Ken smiled up at him gratefully and Osamu nodded.

"Probably a lot warmed to wear than any of those cakes you packed, dummy." Osamu ruffled his brother's hair and grinned.

"But not as tasty to eat," reasoned Ken happily, tightening the jacket around him to make the most of its pleasant warmth.

_Mm, child logic has a strange idea of 'tasty'_, he thought as he remembered the mushed up offering from earlier. "Whatever you say, Kenny."

"Oi, Ichijouji!" A loud and slightly annoying voice called out, causing Osamu to curse his parents yet again for forcing this on him.

He forced a smile and turned around to spot the source of the greeting. "Oh, hey Yagami, you're here too?" _Just my luck_.

Taichi Yagami, his rival on the football field and the boy who just never seemed to leave him alone, stood grinning goofily at him. _Perfect, this was officially set to be the week from hell_.

Behind him stood a shy little girl, probably about Ken's age, who watched this encounter with wide eyes.

"Sure am, along with my little sister Hikari. I have to keep a good eye on her, she nearly didn't come because of a nasty cold. She's a tough kid though," he beamed down at the child behind him proudly as she smiled up at him with a large dose of sibling admiration, the same look Osamu often caught in Ken's eyes.

Ken, who was now paying attention to this exchange, had sidled behind Osamu to watch the strangers with interest. His eyes glanced warily from the older boy to the younger girl and back again, not quite sure what to make of them. Osamu hadn't realised his younger brother was intimidated by people as well, he usually acted so at ease with anyone and everyone.

He grasped the younger child's hand reassuringly and smiled fondly down at him. "I'm here with a sibling too, this is Ken."

He squeezed his hand to let him know that it was okay to say hello and this seemed to refill all of Ken's previous confidence. He bounded up to the other two children and grinned, his previous shyness forgotten. "Hi, I'm Ken and I'm eight. How old are you?"

Taichi smiled down at the energy filled younger boy. "I'm eleven, same as your big brother and Hikari here is eight, the same as you."

Hikari nodded and smiled bashfully, but said nothing and remained cautiously behind Taichi.

"Cool," Ken decided, smiling around at the other three children. "We can all be friends then."

Taichi nodded, happy with this arrangement. He had been trying to befriend Osamu for years without much success and was glad to catch such a break. Osamu and Hikari were slightly more reserved but made no objection and so the four of them decided to explore their new surroundings together. Well, more like the three other children willingly went along with Taichi's need to 'explore', wandering around bushes and trees for the sake of it. A use of time which Osamu felt to be highly inefficient, until he saw the wide smile on his brother's face as he took in the different environment with its scenery and intrigue.

_Maybe I should make it a priority to take Ken to the countryside or the seaside more often,_ _it certainly couldn't hurt._

"Tai!" a female voice called out from above them after about half an hour.

Taichi looked upwards and saw his best friend, Sora, laying on a branch of the tree just behind them. "Hey Sor, having fun there?"

Osamu knew Sora from years of playing football on the same team as her, yet it hit him then as he saw her in the tree above them that he had never bothered to have an actual conversation with her. Not that he had ever wanted to, at the time, but it occurred to him that this may make things awkward over the next week if Sora was the type of female to hold a grudge over that kind of thing.

Most females managed to hold grudges over much less, he had observed.

"You bet I am, away from mum and her dumb old flower shop I can do whatever I want. She can't scold me for climbing or having fun, oh Tai this week is going to be the best week ever." Her shining eyes left Taichi for a moment and landed on the others with him. Sora smiled and waved kindly at Hikari who waved back and then she noticed Osamu. "Oh, hi there Osamu." Her voice conveyed a note of surprise to see him, of all people, there but she merely smiled in greeting and jumped down from her branch with practised grace.

_Looks like she isn't the type to hold a grudge after all_, he thought gratefully as he saw the genuine smile in her eyes. _What a relief, this week would have been so tiresome if she were_.

"Hello Sora," he nodded, doing his best to give her a friendly smile.

She then noticed Ken, who had again retreated behind him in the face of another stranger, and smiled towards him encouragingly.

"Hey there buddy," she knelt down to address him and he gazed at her with wary eyes. "What's your name?"

When he didn't answer Osamu decided he should step in. "His name is Ken and he is my younger brother."

Sora smiled again, this time with more of a visible effort. "Lovely to meet you, Ken. Do you play football?"

At this Ken's face pricked up into an eager and open smile. "I love football!"

Sora laughed, her previous easy manner returning now that she had made progress. "Well then Tai, Osamu, Ken, Hikari," she began as she made eye contact with each of them. "What do you say we round everyone up for a friendly game of football later? Would that be fun?"

"Brilliant idea, Sor!" Taichi grinned, glancing confidently at the others around him.

_That does sound like fun_, conceded Osamu to himself. _Camp could be a lot worse_.

Seeing the others nod enthusiastically Sora smiled and she began to plan with Taichi possible equal teams and likely participants from what she knew of the children attending camp. Ken followed their conversation with excitement and Osamu smiled to himself.

_Yes, indeed. Camp could be a hell of a lot worse._

* * *

Fairly soon the five children decided that exploring with their heavy rucksacks in tow was not the most fun activity and made their way to the Camp Organiser to find out which cabin they had been allocated. It seemed they were all in the same cabin, just up the hill at the top of the steps, which they would be sharing with five other children.

Osamu froze for a moment as they began to make their way up the roughly carved steps. Had a snowflake just landed on his nose? No, that would be just ridiculous. It may be getting bitterly cold but this was summer. Snow right now was impossible. Or at the very least highly improbable.

He must be imagining things.

He shook his head and ignored it, rushing on upwards to catch up with the others.

When they reached the cosy log cabin they saw that they were the last children there, meaning that most of the best bunk beds had been taken already. Not that Osamu was particularly bothered but he knew that Ken had set his heart on a top bunk space by the window and he couldn't help the small pang of regret that he could not provide such a simple thing for his younger brother.

He glanced around the room at the faces of the other children and was glad to notice there was another boy Ken's age.

He was also relieved to see one boy, around his age but maybe younger, fiddling with a laptop. Maybe he would have someone here who he could relate to over more than just football, on an intellectual level, after all. The thought filled him with hope.

"Hey guys!" Taichi's voice was both urgent and excited as he rushed into the cabin's entrance from outside, a small fold-out telescope in his hand. "You won't believe this, come look outside. It's snowing!"

There was a commotion as gasps of disbelief and a medley of excited voices built in the small cabin.

Ken and the other young boy became suddenly animated and rushed to the nearest window for a better look, grinning at each other with their shared excitement at such a sight. Hikari followed them tentatively, and smiled slightly at the view outside.

Osamu then followed the other children as they crowded around the two small windows, exclaiming at the sight before their eyes. He had never seen such pure, thick snow in his life, as far as his memory went, and he did not hesitate to join the other children as they filed outside to properly appreciate this sight when the limited view offered by the windows just wasn't enough.

The ten youngsters left the cabin and spread out to enjoy the breath taking scene before them. Strange lights in the sky appeared and Osamu whispered in awe "The Aurora Borealis" at the same time as the red haired boy with the laptop. They glanced at each other and smiled slightly.

_What on earth was happening_? Osamu wondered. _Snow in summer, the Aurora Borealis being visible from Japan; something was very wrong here_.

Suddenly Osamu felt a small hand fit into his. Ken. He squeezed it reassuringly and looked down at the rapturous yet confused expression on the face of his little brother.

"Onii-san," he breathed quietly, almost reverently.

"It's okay Kenny," Osamu looped his arm around Ken's shoulders, while still grasping his hand.

The ground began to shake and the children panicked. Osamu ignored the others and focussed only on the shivering bundle in his arms; Ken was terrified. He grabbed him tightly and began to stroke his hair, soothing him in the only way he could think to at that moment. He was about to whisper again that it would be okay when the world went black.

Suddenly his arms were empty and he was falling into the darkness, alone.

"Kenny!" He cried, but no words came out.


	4. Dodging Pincers

**Note: I do not own Digimon**

I just want to say a massive thank you to all those who reviewed my last chapter and gave such wonderful feedback and ideas! I am going to weigh up all the options but just so you know I am still debating with myself who Osamu should have for a Digimon Partner.

It is currently between (Cupimon-+**_Impmon_**), (Dorimon-+_**DORUmon**_), (Hopmon-+_**Monodramon**_), (Kuramon-+**_Dracmon_**), (Wanyamon-+_**Leormon**_) and (Chapmon-+**_Kamemon_**).

{{Thank you to **Substitute Deathberry**, **Naomi Shihoin** and **NatNicole** for these brilliant ideas, so many awesome ones to choose from!}}

Any suggestions on who you think could work well from this motley crew would be much appreciated :}

(Osamu's digimon partner will make an appearance from next chapter. I stalled because I am just so damn indecisive)

...*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*...

* * *

**_Chapter Two ~ Dodging Pincers: Some Quality Bonding Time_**

* * *

Ken groaned slightly as he tried to open his eyes. Everything hurt. His head, his knees, his back, even his socks seemed to be in pain.

_"That's because the poor things aren't meant to be paired with sandals,"_ in his mind Ken could almost hear the throw-away quip his brother would make, almost see the look of amusement as Osamu ripped into him for his strange habits, almost feel the large hand as it would ruffle his hair with affection.

_Oniisan._..

That's right, the last thing he remembered Osamu had been clutching him protectively because there was a strange storm or something at camp. There had been snow too, such beautiful, thick snow. And strangely curving, coloured lights which looked like something from one of his favourite Sci Fi shows. Then there had been a blinding white light which engulfed everything, all of Japan as far as Ken could see, and that was the last thing he remembered.

_I wonder if the ground shaking like that was because those crazy lights were really aliens coming to say hello to us_? He smiled to himself at such a thought but immediately regretted it. Turns out his smile muscles hurt too.

He squinted slightly against the bright light all around him, hoping to be able to make out the figure of his big brother somewhere near by.

That's strange, maybe he was dreaming. His eyes seemed to be insisting that he was laying against a giant tree in the middle of a forest. The summer camp was in the countryside surrounded by trees, yes, but not ones like this; it was beyond huge and would be as out of the place in the Japanese countryside as a dragon would be on the Tube. A giant, smelly, fire breathing dragon.

So he must be dreaming, right? Because this definitely wasn't Japan.

He wrinkled his nose slightly, this place even smelt strange.

_Where am I?_ he squinted against the daylight again, this time managing to open his eyes almost fully for a few seconds. _And where's Oniisan?_

His head began to swim, feeling heavy and fuzzy and he began to see flitting sparks behind his eyes. Before he knew what was happening he had slipped quietly back into the cold depths of unconsciousness.

* * *

Minomon scoured the third quadrant of the forest with as much eagerness as he had combed through the first two. Today was the day he was going to meet his partner and undomesticated equines could not keep him from putting his whole heart and soul into this search.

He wondered how the other Digidestined Digimon were faring with their searches. He hoped they would all be successful as it would just be so heartbreaking to think that something could have gone wrong on today of all days. Not that he doubted the prophesy, but he did have a tendency to over think things, especially ones as momentous as this. It was fate-of-the-world stuff after all, but more than that it was huge for him personally as today he was going to get to meet Ken.

_Ken. Ken. Ken._ Just thinking his name gave Minomon a shiver of anticipation. Very soon he would have a face to call to mind when he thought of that name, a laugh to recognise and friend to get to know. More than just a friend; he would have a partner.

It was just at this moment that Minomon saw a human child laying unconscious against a tree before him. A jolt of... something... coursed through him and time stood still for a moment as he stared at that child. _Ken? Could it be you?_

All of a sudden Minomon grew shy and for a second he allowed himself to ask the question he had not even let himself consider before. _What if he doesn't like me?_

But as quickly as such doubts had surged, he squashed them back, focussing on the reality not the possibilities. The reality was that the being lying just before him could very be his Ken.

He slowly sidled up to the small child, amazed that such an innocent looking creature could be the key to defeating the evil which had gained a foothold in their world. He looked so peaceful, so fragile. A powerful surge of emotion coursed through Minomon as the desire to protect and provide for this strange new creature overwhelmed him. _I won't let anyone hurt you, Ken. I promise you will be safe with me_.

For a few seconds and an infinite number of heartbeats Minomon stood over the young child, watching him breath steadily and working up the courage to wake him. At last he decided to just go for it as waiting would gain nothing.

"Ken?" he whispered, his voice taunt with nerves.

No response.

"Ken?" he tried speaking louder, prodding him slightly with one of the edges of his pine-cone shaped lower body.

"Unnn?" the human child made a strange noise and his face contorted for a second into some kind of grimace, but he did not rouse.

"Ken?" Minomon tried again, this time even louder and giving out multiple pokes with his edges, hoping to get a proper reaction.

"Ushunngwh," Ken managed more syllables this time and seemed to be reacting to Minomon's stimuli on some level.

This encouraged the small creature and he decided to continue with gusto.

* * *

"Ken?" a soft voice whispered, trying to reach him. He wanted to respond as something in that voice appealed to him, but he couldn't, the words wouldn't form. The thoughts wouldn't even form. His mind felt like it was wading through mud.

Seconds later the voice returned only with slightly more power behind it. "Ken?"

"Hello?" he tried to greet it. Only he had the feeling his attempt didn't come out in words, more generic sounds.

There was a pause and Ken relaxed, feeling himself being pulled gently back into the calm of the darkness. Floating further and further into the embrace of unconsciousness. All of his thoughts and feelings, who he was, seemed to become more detached with every passing second.

But the voice was persistent and became an anchor for him, lodging him securely as unconsciousness tried to drag him down.

He felt strange sensations as if something pointy were softly prodding his side, his hands and then _Oh Good Gracious_ - his _feet_!

"Stop!" he cried as he stirred, weakly swatting the air with his right foot in an attempt to shake off whatever was that was agitating it.

After this he slowly began coming to and as he became gradually aware of his surroundings he noticed a pair of tiny, beady eyes looking up at him uncertainly and he could not help but stare back.

_What a weird, um, thing_, he thought as he stared at the palm-sized face before him. It seemed to be some sort of miniature green creature stuck in a pine-cone, whose two little arms could be seen peeking out of the top of this cone and who had two perked up ears, some kind of vine growing out of the top of his head and a mouth which looked distinctly bug like.

The mouth caught Ken's attention, he hated bugs. They terrified him. _Yuck!_

But then, he thought as he further examined the little animal, it wasn't actually a bug, surely? It was far too cute to be a nasty creepy crawly. So it was okay.

"Ken?" the creature finally asked after a few long seconds of the two of them staring at each other.

Ken's eyes widened in shock as he realised this thing could talk and knew his name. At that moment he didn't know which one to be more freaked out by and his mind reeled trying to make sense of everything from the strange snow and lights to this place and the creature who had found him.

"Who are you?" he demanded nervously. "Are you from outer space?" he had only been joking about aliens before, but this was just getting so weird that aliens would be the most normal explanation!

The creature smiled slightly at this.

"My name's Minomon," it chirped "and I'm not from space, I'm from here." Then, seeing the look of confusion on Ken's face, it added "The Digital World."

"The Digital World?" Ken whispered to himself uncertainly. He had never heard of that before, but then he hadn't even heard of some small places in Japan so it may not be that outlandish.

"Yup," Minomon said cheerfully, smiling at his partner. "Where are you from, Ken?"

He was about to give his town's name when he thought better of it. "Japan," he answered softly, realising that he may not even be in his home country any more. He had never been anywhere outside of Japan and the thought that he had somehow found himself in a completely different place outside of that familiarity now was both exhilarating and terrifying in equal parts.

"What's Japan?" Minomon asked, intrigued.

Ken raised his eyebrows at that. How could anyone not have heard of Japan?!

"Its the land of the rising sun," he recalled from his Kanji Explanation classes.

"Oh." said Minomon, unsure how to respond to that. His partner lived in a land made of a sun? Maybe he was sturdier than he looked...

There was an ominous, low humming sound in the distance which grabbed their attention as it seemed to be getting closer. Conversation became hushed and the two of them looked around anxiously.

"What's that?" asked Ken, looking to Minomon with his big, trusting eyes.

Minomon was instantly alert and did not answer Ken for a few seconds but stayed statue still with his right ear pricked up, listening intently.

"I think we may be in trouble," he said eventually, scowling up at the sky as the low humming became louder and louder above them. "I think its a Kuwagamon."

"What's a-?" Ken began.

"Shhh!" Minomon hissed urgently, cutting his partner off. "Follow me, now."

The outline of a large, insect-like creature loomed overhead causing a shiver to creep up the young boy's spine.

Ken wasted no time in swinging his rucksack over his shoulder and rushing after his new friend as quietly as he could, hoping the horrid giant bug hadn't seen or heard them. The humming grew louder and louder until the plants and trees around him were being thrown around chaotically by the air disturbance as Kuwagamon flew closer to the ground and to them.

Ken ran as fast as he could now, no longer concerned with stealth.

Minomon leapt backwards onto Ken's shoulder and began hurling attacks at the giant red bug monster as he was chasing them. None had any effect except to infuriate him even more, yet Minomon was stubborn and refused to stop trying.

"**_Pinecone!_**" he yelled, his voice high pitched with anger, as he hurled spiked cone after cone towards their aggressor.

Ken did not waste precious seconds looking around to see if they hit, his main concern was to keep on moving. But he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride for the tiny creature on his shoulder who was crazy enough to pick a fight with such a mean looking monster. He had some nerve.

"Arghhhh!" a girl's scream immediately grabbed his attention and he altered his direction slightly to pursue it, hoping to help yet not quite realising he would be putting said female into danger by leading Kuwagamon straight to her.

Just in the clearing ahead of them stood one of the girls he had seen earlier in the cabin. He recognised the pink hat and weird cowgirl style clothes but he didn't know her name. Not that now was the time to be worrying about such details.

He ran straight for her, panic and adrenaline pushing him far past his usual exercise tolerance, and was only slightly surprised to see that this girl had a creature friend too. Why not.

Suddenly a hazy memory burst to the surface but it was blurred and just out of reach of his conscious mind so he ignored it, instead focussing on the situation at hand.

The one word he recalled clearly was a name. _Hawkmon_. Why or how or what the significance was he had no idea, but there would hopefully be time to figure it out later. For now they all had other priorities.

"Run!" he gasped once he reached her, grabbing her hand and dragging her along behind him. She protested weakly but allowed herself to be led, although she was far less sure-footed weaving through the dense vegetation than he was.

The bug creature was gaining on them and decided to take this chance to make a dive. Luckily the girl's creature saw this and pushed her and Ken down out of the way as Kuwagamon sped by harmlessly. The rush of wind from the close call threw dirt and debris up into his face, causing him to cough, but he was unharmed.

"Over here," Minomon cried, ushering them into a tree. As Ken watched his new friend disappear into the trunk he didn't even question his faith in the digimon but instantly followed, stepping seamlessly through the bark and into a hollowed out tree where they would be hidden from view. After a second's hesitation the girl followed, her digimon bringing up the rear.

They were safe. He hoped.

No one dared speak as they listened to the sounds of the bug digimon overhead, sweeping the area from the sky no doubt searching for them.

At last Ken released the breath he had been holding in all this time. "Phew," he breathed, "that was close."

Minomon nodded and shook his pinecone, dusting it off carefully and smiling up at his partner. "It sure was, hopefully its over now though."

Ken nodded and fell silent.

_Where is oniisan?_ He wondered, having experienced such a close call he was now worried that maybe his brother had not been so lucky. _Please let him be okay_.

He was pulled abruptly away from such thoughts, though, by the sob which came from the girl next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking earnestly up at the girl as she succumbed to a bout of more violent sobs.

"No!" she snapped, scowling at him. "What sort of a stupid-?" At that she broke down even more, quickly becoming hysterical.

"Mimi..." her creature soothed, concern written across his face.

"We're safe now," Ken tried, nervously reaching out a hand and placing it on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

After a few minutes she managed to calm down, but her shoulders still shook and she refused to smile at any of them.

"So, you're called Mimi then?" Ken asked, making an effort to build some sort of a conversation to take their minds off this strange situation.

"Yes," she hiccuped, making eye contact with him for the first time.

"My names Ichijouji Ken, pleased to meet you," he gave her a winning smile and she smiled weakly back.

"I'm Tanemon," chirped the other creature, beaming up at the young boy. Tanemon was nearly as unusual a creature as Minomon, Ken thought, with four stubby legs and a head-shaped body, large orb like maroon eyes and what appeared to be a large leaf springing up from her head she was certainly no household variety puppy. But she had a warm smile and friendly manner, so all things considered he was very pleased to have her around right now.

"And I am Minomon," his own friend added, blushing slightly. "Nice to-"

"Oh yes," Mimi suddenly cut in, snapping her fully attention to Tanemon who stood protectively by her side. "You were just telling me about why I'm here," she puckered her lips and looked expectantly at the creature, who smiled apologetically at Minomon before nodding.

_Well hi to you too,_ Minomon sighed.

"Yes, I was wasn't I. Well you're here because-" Tanemon did not get very far as right at that moment the tree they were sheltering in began to shake. The humming noise was back again, muffled but definitely near by. Kuwagamon.

The children and digimon stared at each other in horror. "You said we were safe!" Mimi accused, eyes wide in panic.

"I-" Ken began, but didn't know what to say. Now wasn't the time anyway.

"RUN!" Minomon and Tanemon ushered their partners out of the tree and the chase was back on.

For a moment Kuwagamon was so engrossed in shaking a tree to see if that was the one they had been in that he did not notice their escape. That is, until he heard Mimi's scream as she tripped over a large tree root on the ground.

"Ouch!" she shrieked as her knee was grazed against the bark of the tree roots.

Kuwagamon froze midway through shaking the tree and turned to look their way, seeing the girl splayed on the floor before him. He then began making his way slowly towards them, clicking his two large pincers together in anticipation.

Ken ran back for her and yanked her up roughly by her elbow. _She's far heavier than she looks_, he groaned silently as he handled the once more hysterical girl, herding her away from the scary bug towards safety.

"Hey!" she hissed, shaking the younger child off her. She was so sick of being thrown around everywhere by people today.

Meanwhile Tanemon and Minomon leapt in between Kuwagamon and the two children, bravely throwing their best attacks at the champion level digimon in a desperate bid to buy time for their partners to escape.

"Run Mimi, run!" Tanemon yelled at her partner, fearfully.

"Go!" cried Minomon as he rained down yet more pinecones on the looming Kuwagamon.

The two children staggered clumsily once more through the under growth, the sounds of the battle behind them gradually getting fainter and their limbs getting heavier.

_Minomon_... Ken frowned, thinking of his new friend standing up to such a powerful monster for them.

It was coming to the point where the boy could run no longer, he had already passed his limits long ago and he now fought frantically for every gasp of air into his lungs. They felt like lead, weighing him down with pain.

It was then that they broke through the vegetation suddenly and found themselves on a cliff side, staring into the faces of the other children from the cabin as well as a strange assortment of other small creatures.

There was no time for greeting though as the low humming was there again, just behind them.

Ken struggled to find enough breath to warn the other children of the danger, but all he could manage was a faint wheeze as he fell to his knees. In the corner of his darkening, splodge-filled vision he could make out Mimi falling to the ground beside him.

They were done.

* * *

Osamu stirred, trying to open his eyes yet being greeted only with darkness.

_What happened? Where am I?_ he rifled through his mind for clues, trying to remember the events leading up to this moment, but they were so hazy and illusive that he couldn't make any sense of them. Blurs of images flew around in his mind's eye: Ken, snow, light, darkness. Peanut butter. Faces, many new faces. Fragmented pieces to a puzzle he had no idea how to construct.

He groaned and tried to move, but failed.

_Wait, Ken. Where is Ken? He had been in my arms, I was protecting him. He needs me._

He recalled the awed expression on the younger boy's face just as the Aurora Borealis had become visible and suddenly the pieces of the puzzle made sense. They had been at camp. Strange phenomena followed by darkness.

Was that were he was now? In the darkness?

_"Very good, youngling"_ a voice caressed his mind from nowhere and everywhere. _"We have called you and you answered."_

He didn't have time for this. "Where is my brother?" he demanded, feeling strangely vulnerable.

A rich, quiet laugh greeted him in response.

_"All in good time, ser."_ it promised, sending a chill up Osamu's spine.


	5. The Dark Spore

**Note: I do not own Digimon**

Well here is the next chapter :}

Sorry I wavered so much about who to put as Osamu's partner. I now have someone who I believe (and I hope you will too) is actually rather perfect, all things considered. My only clue is that they are not one of the ones on the list last chapter...

I really want to thank everyone who helped me make the final decision, your willingness to bounce ideas with me was so helpful!  
So **NoRatCat**, **Naomi Shihoin**, **oOShinahiOo**, **Substitute Deathberry**, **Neko Haruko** and **NatNicole** as well as **LostCriesofTime**, thank you for everything and this chapter is for you!

...*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*...

* * *

**_Chapter Three ~_**

* * *

Nyaromon cried out as her best friend, DemiMeramon, was flogged before her eyes.

"No!" she snarled, shielding him with her body by jumping in the way. Her eyes glared with fury at the Ultimate level digimon who held the handle of the whip casually as he flicked back the red cords ready to strike again.

"Those eyes," he smiled humourlessly at the tiny creature before him, "must be taught a lesson."

He batted the fur ball shaped digimon out of the way with ease and struck her friend with barely disguised satisfaction. He would teach them both a lesson this day; Vamdemon did not tolerate insubordination, whether in action or attitude, in his underlings. He would extinguish the spark from those eyes if he had to stand here flogging digimon until his arms fell off.

These two were too useful to destroy, so break them he must.

* * *

"Who are you?" Osamu demanded, shaking slightly, a reaction due only in part to the chill in the air. "What do you want?"

_"We want you,"_ the whisper surrounded him, caressing and soft.

He reeled back at that, unsure of how to respond.

For the last few hours or days, he was unsure of which as time seemed distorted in this place and he was having trouble keeping track of its passage, Osamu had been drifting in and out of consciousness. At times he actually doubted whether he was conscious at all or whether this strange, dark place he found himself in was all nothing more than a dream. Or a nightmare. It certainly had a surreal quality to it and although he felt aware he also knew his senses were being messed with in ways which made him on edge.

For a start he was completely enveloped in darkness, he could see nothing and no matter how long he kept his eyes open his vision hadn't been able to adjust in the least. It was pitch black. An empty void.

For another thing sounds seemed to have no specific origin, it was more as if they were surrounding him, coming from all directions.

These factors were able to disorient the child, robbing him of two of the senses he relied on the most in life.

Yet if someone thought they could throw him off his game with some sensory manipulation then they had clearly underestimated who it was they were dealing with here. Osamu clenched his jaw, he would adapt.

All he had to do was slowly get his bearings while figuring out where he was and who held him here.

Engaging the strange, oddly seductive voice in conversation was a means to that end. As much as the answers may disturb him he knew he had to find out more. It could be his only way to find out what had happened to Ken. It could be the key to formulating a way to escape.

He just had to keep his wits about him and not let the voice get under his skin.

_"We want you,"_ it repeated intimately. _"You were made for us..."_

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He had to fight this and staying calm was the key, but he could already feel the bubble of panic rising in his gut and wasn't sure how long he could fight it off.

_As long as I have to_, he frowned, taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"_Who_ wants me? Who are you?" he asked, speaking as confidently as he could into the darkness in the hope they would not sense his weakness. His fear.

_"We are Lucemon,"_ came the reply in what sounded eerily like a young child's voice, melodic and full of innocence. Just like Ken. _"And you are the vessel for our plans. We have such beautiful plans for you, our sweet."_

As Osamu digested this information he was surrounded by an unnerving childlike laughter, ringing out around the darkness with delight.

_"Your intellect makes you perfect for the role we have in mind for you, youngling,"_ Lucemon then revealed himself, lighting up their surroundings with his very presence. _"You are our chosen and through you we will do great things."_

Osamu jammed his eyes shut and covered his face with his hands to protect against the sudden rush of light on his unprepared senses.

He felt a small hand, no larger than Ken's, come to rest gently on his shoulder as if trying to comfort him. He took strength from the gesture and the panic building up within him was quietened.

As his eyes adjusted to the light he was able to slowly open them and stare into the face of the creature he now knew as Lucemon. He was the most beautiful thing Osamu had ever seen, throwing him off guard as he stared into those perfect blue eyes.

"You're an angel?" he gasped, staring with wide eyes at the creature before him. It was a white-blonde haired, fair skinned child who had eight large, pure white wings on his body and two on his head as well as strangely beautiful purple markings down the left side of his body. Its pale skin seemed to glow with the purest of light, mesmerising the boy with its radiance.

He was standing before a heavenly messenger; was he dead? Maybe this was the stopping off lounge before being allowed into heaven.

_"Yes,"_ Lucemon smiled warmly at the human before frowning in concentration and waving his hands slowly in the air.

Osamu watched with fascination as Lucemon's slow, circular hand motions actually began forming a spark of light which glowed with darkness. Osamu frowned at such a though, nothing could glow with a dark light, that was scientifically inaccurate, yet here before his very eyes this angel was creating a dark spark of hovering energy.

"What is that?" Osamu queried, his curiosity overcoming everything else as he leaned in close to watch Lucemon at work.

_"We call it a dark spore,"_ Lucemon replied, his eyes never leaving the entity forming between his hands. _"It is our gift to you."_

"What is it for?" Osamu asked eagerly, his previous distrust of Lucemon seemingly pushed to one side.

After a short pause Lucemon's gaze flickered back up at Osamu and bared his teeth in a smile. "This!" his voice distorted from childlike to venomous for a second and his irises turned such a light blue they almost seemed white. He thrust out his arms in Osamu's direction and the momentum caused the dark spore to fly out of his grasp and hit Osamu in the chest.

Osamu's eyes widened in shock and he let out a small gasp as his body absorbed the spore. He heard Lucemon's child like laughter fade as everything once more returned to darkness.

His head lolled forward as he struggled to control it and he fell to his knees on the cold, hard floor.

What was happening to him?

The last thing he remembered before he was once more overcome by unconsciousness was the bile rise in his throat as all of the negative and destructive emotions he had ever felt were brought to the surface.

* * *

Hatred, jealousy, anger, fear, loneliness, pride, arrogance, despair.

They all washed over him and he felt as if he were drowning in a sea of darkness as he tried to grasp a hold of some redeeming thought, but found he could think of none.

What was love? a joke...

Friendship? he hadn't had a true friend since Gennai. _Unless you count Ken_, a small part of him argued.

Happiness? a fleeting state induced by brain chemicals, nothing more.

What then could he hold on to as the swirling eddies of darkness threatened to engulf him?

_Ken._

The dark spore inside his chest pulsed and pain gripped Osamu as a sensation like fire dancing up and down his nerves struck with force.

_Ken.._

Osamu was desperate to hold on to the one thing which he truly cared about, now more than ever he needed his younger brother.

Pain racked his body once more as he tried to focus on the smiling, sweet face of his brother.

The dark spore pulsed again and again as Osamu writhed and screamed in pain. He stubbornly refused to surrender the image of his brother that he was clinging desperately to, as he figured that was what this spore wanted. He would not give in, he would not break.

Losing his brother was not an option.

_Ken..._

The pain intensified and he once more cried out in agony, scrabbling to recall something that was important, something of Ken. Anything at all. A memory flashed in his mind and he gratefully embraced it, hoping it would give him the strength that he needed to fight this. What else could motivate him more than his own flesh and blood...?

_"Pst," Ken interrupted his thoughts with a conspiratorial smile. "Want some peanut-cake?" He whispered, holding out a sticky hand with an even stickier offering of mutilated cake smothered in stomach turning globs of peanut butter._

Only the scene which had, at the time, caused him amusement now only added to the hurt and desperation as the dark spore wriggled its way further into his mind, twisting the memory and associating it with the horror of the pain he was now experiencing.

_Ken's beaming face, cheeks filled with smarties._

Pain. Burning. Fire. Agony.

_Ken's hand slotted into his as they walked down the street._

His skin searing. Pain. Burning. His nerves on fire.

_Ken as an infant looking up to him and managing to say "Oniisan". Their parents' pride. Osamu's joy._

His lungs burning as the sensation crawled further into his body, inflaming him from the outside in and back again. Agony. Fire. Burning.

His resolved was weakening but he managed to dredge up one final memory. _Showing Ken how to blow bubbles..._

Pain, burning twisting pain. It coursed through him with renewed vigour. His screams took on an animal quality now as he broke down, weeping and screaming simultaneously.

He couldn't stand it any more, he craved relief from the intensity of this nightmare and eventually he stopped fighting.

Everybody broke.

* * *

_"Vamdemon,"_ the voice, which seemed to be coming from all around him at once, took the Demon Lord by surprise as he turned around to see his master hovering behind him, blinding him with the light of his child like body. _"We have someone here you may want to meet."_

A smile played across the child form digimon's lips and Vamdemon raised an eyebrow before bowing low in reverence.

A small boy, human if Vamdemon didn't know any better, walked out of the shadows with a smirk on his face as he appraised the Vampire-esque digimon and his lair. Vamdemon scowled, disliking the air with which this being held himself in the presence of such powerful digimon as himself and his master.

The boy wore a dark blue suit with a high waisted belt, covered in a cape which billowed around his shoulders dramatically as he walked, causing Vamdemon to bite down the urge to laugh. If anyone knew melodramatic dressing it was him, yet even by his standards this human was trying too hard. Although the golden shoulder pads did succeed in giving the scrawny child more of a menacing appearance, he had to admit.

Still, who did this rugrat think he was?

Vamdemon bared his teeth in a grimace which passed as a smile, looking down at Osamu and then up as Lucemon with a trace of amusement.

"So who have we here then, my Lord?" he addressed the angelic digimon, ignoring Osamu.

Osamu bristled and stuck his chest out with confidence but it was Lucemon who was the one to answer.

_"This is our newest creature,"_ he beamed. _"We call it the Digimon Kaiser."_

"Interesting," Vamdemon appraised the human once more, wondering what his master had in mind for such a scrawny, pitiful thing.

_"Yes,"_ Lucemon's voice was soft and lilting. _"We have the boy, now all we must do is turn the girl..."_

* * *

In the corner, out of sight of the other digimon, DemiMeramon and Nyaromon exchanged worried glances.

"I have a funny feeling about this," whispered DemiMeramon as his flames flickered with nerves.

"Me too," admitted Nyaromon quietly.

They remained in silence for a while as DemiMeramon watched the strange, cape wearing creature intently. He had a strange desire to approach him, yet some instinct warned him to stay put. Probably common sense. Yet the feeling of being drawn to this creature was so strong and so deep within him that it soon overrode his survival instinct.

"DemiMeramon!" Nyaromon hissed in panic as her friend suddenly made a break for it out of the safety of their corner and towards the evil digimon as they conversed. Instinctively she snapped her teeth at him in a futile attempt to prevent him going anywhere by force, but his flames danced just out of her reach and before she knew it he was half way across the room.

_What has gotten into him?_ she wondered briefly, before heading straight after him. She was usually the rash, impulsive one of the two of them, while he was averse to risk of any kind. Yet here he was running towards Vamdemon-sama for no apparent reason._ Has he gone completely nuts?!_

He may have gone completely nuts, he didn't quite know. All he knew was that he had to get to that boy, whom Lucemon had called the 'Digimon Kaiser' but whom DemiMeramon knew in his heart had a different name. A wonderful name. A name DemiMeramon had been searching for his whole life. A name to give him purpose.

_Don't worry, I'm coming for you Osamu..._

* * *

**A/N~ Thank you to anyone who has been reading this, I hope you're enjoying it so far!**


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